The rain fell in cold sheets over the Iron District, turning the broken cobblestones into slippery veins of mud and filth. Ren Aldric hunched into his ragged cloak, boots squelching as he moved through the alleyways like a shadow born of the soot-stained walls. The district didn't sleep—it rotted slowly, like a carcass too stubborn to fall apart completely.
People didn't see Ren anymore. Or if they did, they looked away. That's what happens when you survive what no one should have. When the System scans you and turns up nothing. No class. No title. No power.
Just… Unchosen.
He stopped at the mouth of a narrow passage, eyes narrowing at the crooked sign of The Gilded Goblin swinging in the wind. Inside, laughter burst through the thin windows—drunken, arrogant, belonging to the Marked.
Ren watched them like a starving wolf eyeing lambs that thought their armor made them gods. One of them—Garrett Voss—was already halfway into his fourth mug of something strong. Bragging again. Something about a "treasure not fit for the hands of the poor."
Ren wasn't here for scraps tonight. He wasn't here to beg, or cower.
Tonight, he was going to steal from the gods.
Garrett stumbled out of the tavern, muttering to himself, the bulge of his satchel swaying with each unsteady step.
Ren was already moving. A pebble flicked down the alley to Garrett's left. The drunk turned to the noise. In that breath of a moment, Ren's fingers slipped inside the satchel and closed around something heavy and bound in cracked leather.
Then he was gone.
He didn't stop until the ruins of the chapel swallowed him. Its broken walls and collapsed roof offered no warmth, but they offered what Ren always needed—silence. He sat with the book in his lap, frowning.
No coins. No jewels. Just… a book. Symbols danced faintly across its cover in threads of gold, pulsing ever so softly. Magic. Dangerous, illegal magic.
He should've thrown it away.
But that's when the screaming started.
Boots thundered through the alleys. Three Marked, eyes wild, weapons drawn—not just furious, terrified.
"Where is it?" one shouted. "Where's the book?"
Ren didn't wait.
The Iron District was a maze and he was its rat king. He ran through collapsed homes, over broken fences, slipping through cracks no armored knight could follow. But the Marked were relentless. Trained. Boosted. Their blades cut the air, inches from his skin.
A cornered breath later, he stood on a crumbling balcony. No way down but a deadly drop. No way back but death in steel.
"You're trapped," the lead Marked growled. "That book doesn't belong to you."
Ren tightened his grip around the grimoire. No weapons. No allies. No hope.
So he opened the book.
The world tore itself apart.
A blinding pulse threw him from the balcony—and when his eyes blinked open, he was somewhere else.
A colosseum of white stone stretched around him, impossibly vast and empty. The air shimmered. The ground pulsed with unseen life.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Trial of Celestial Ascent Initiated.
Objective: Survive.
Reward: System Access.
Penalty for Failure: Death.
Ren barely had time to curse before it arrived.
A small, radiant beast leapt into the arena. Fur like molten gold, eyes burning bright. A Seraphim Wolf—smaller than expected, quick, but not overwhelming.
It lunged. Ren didn't flinch. He sidestepped, grabbed a broken tile, and flung it into the creature's face. Then, as it staggered, he rammed the book into its skull.
WHUMP.
The beast collapsed.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Creature Defeated: Seraphim Wolf.
+50 XP
Unique Trait "Unchosen" Activated: Bonus +50 XP
Ren blinked, stunned at how fast it had ended.
Then the air shifted. A second figure descended—tall, radiant, perfect. The Celestial Arbiter.
"You are unworthy," it said, voice vibrating through bone. "Kneel, and your death will be swift."
Ren spit. "Try me."
It came fast. The blade of light was fierce and deliberate, but Ren noticed its rhythm—predictable, scripted. Law, not instinct.
When the final strike came, Ren raised the book.
CRACK—
The blade struck and stopped.
Light exploded. But Ren remained.
The book—indestructible.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Trial Cleared.
Rewards Granted:
System Access Unlocked
Unique Trait: "Unchosen" (2x XP Gain Active)
Level 1 Achieved
+200 XP (Trial Completion + Bonus)
[SYSTEM LOG]
Combat Behavior Detected: Defensive Redirection (Grimoire used as Shield).
Analyzing… Artifact Durability: Unbreakable.
Result: System Registry Updated.
[New Ability Detected: Sword of Aetherlight – Rank A+]
Type: Celestial Weapon Skill
Skill Copy Available (Thief Slot Empty: 3/3)
Note: Adding a skill begins its progression at Level 1. Removing it will erase all progress.
Would you like to copy "Sword of Aetherlight"?
[Yes] / [No]
Ren smirked. "Yes."
[Skill Copied: Sword of Aetherlight (Rank A+)]
Skill Slot 1 of 3 Occupied. Progression Begins.
The white world faded—
—and he was back in the chapel, flat on his back.
The book was gone.
But around him… they were back. The Marked. All three of them.
And they'd seen the light.
"The book," one hissed. "It vanished—he still has something!"
[SYSTEM PING]
Optimizing Stat Integration. Please stand by. Estimated Time: 60 seconds to Full System Access.
Ren's eyes flicked between them, hands already curling, ready to move.
He didn't have the book. But he had the skill. He had the trait.
And in 60 seconds, he'd have the system.
So he did the only thing that made sense.
He ducked.